


A Nuisance

by thesecretdoor



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, KAT-TUN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-07
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2018-10-18 18:58:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10623102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesecretdoor/pseuds/thesecretdoor
Summary: Nakamaru is a little disturbed by Taguchi's reluctance to spend time alone with him.





	

“Good game” Taguchi beams, patting him on the shoulder as they walk out of the survival game arena.

“It was” Nakamaru agrees. “The way you took down Yaotome-kun was incredible.”

“Come on...I’m starving” Interrupts Koki, placing an arm around each of their shoulders.

“We’re going to get ramen, do you want to come along?” Taguchi directs at Nakamaru.

He considers it for a moment and then nods happily “Sure, I think a celebratory meal is in order.”

As they eat they recount their battle, and what an epic battle it had been, the three of them alone had taken on the whole of Hey! Say! Jump! And won. Nakamaru was proud of his team, yes his team, he’d been made official team captain. He’d been a little sceptical about how well they would do against such a large group of much younger, more energetic boys, but all three of them had made it out alive. He wasn’t sure whether it was just because of their experience, he couldn’t even say how many times they’d been to play survival together, or because they were such a finely attuned team. Nakamaru as captain decided on the strategies, but then out in the field he was a little more reserved, leaving the key job of leading them to Taguchi who was quick and could adapt their plans fluidly depending on the situation. Then there was Koki, not afraid to be bold and take risks, he was their main weapon, but without the others, none of them would have the skills to win such an epic battle.

They finish their food and are still discussing their tactics over drinks when Koki’s phone rings, the other two wait patiently in silence until he finishes his phone call, but as he hangs up he stands from his seat. “Sorry, that was my mum, I’ve gotta go run some errands” and he fishes through his wallet for some cash before nodding in farewell “I’ll see you at work tomorrow”.

They both return his farewell and then Taguchi suddenly looks tense. “Actually, I’d better go too, see you” And after placing his share of the bill on the table, Taguchi leaves too. For a few moments Nakamaru sits there dumbstruck, Taguchi had sure been in a hurry to leave. His face falls into a frown as he picks up his glass, is his company that intolerable? He finishes his drink and puts down his money before heading out of the restaurant, his mind drifting back to Taguchi’s hasty departure the whole way home.

~~***~~

Back behind his safely locked door he finally lets out the frustrated grunt he hadn’t even been aware he was withholding. What was with that guy? It was as though as soon as Koki left he’d sensed a dire need to escape.

Do people really find him that boring? Maru ponders as he shuffles around his quiet kitchen, making himself some relaxing tea. But even if that is the case, it would have been much more polite for Taguchi to have stayed to finish their drinks at least. He sighs, finally relaxing into his soft leather sofa, since when was Taguchi polite? And since when did any of his actions ever make sense?

He spends a few hours focusing entirely on his current homework assignment, but once he’s dressed for bed and tucked comfortably between the sheets his mind dredges up that image of Taguchi’s startled face once more.

The more he thinks about it, the more he realises, in fact, he never spends time alone with Taguchi, he can’t even recall when the last time was. It’s not just in their private time either, at work they occasionally have small sections of photoshoots just the two of them, but it’s only very rarely that it’s any more than that. Do they really just not have any chemistry between them?

He rolls onto his back, trying to think of time spent with alone with the other members as though that might explain why he and Taguchi are incompatible. He gets on fine with Ueda, they go out to eat together quite often and though they don’t say much everything is perfectly comfortable between them. But Ueda gets on surprisingly well with Taguchi too, despite the way their personalities seem as though they should clash. Still, Taguchi and Ueda often have photoshoots together, and they were often paired together for TV shows too, especially as juniors, he supposes their differences complimented each other quite well there.

Kame is easy to get along with too, they can talk for hours about the news, or sporting news at least. He has a lot of respect for Kame, for his work ethic and how thorough he is about understanding his work, he figures they’re quite similar in that sense. Kame also makes a good shopping companion, he’s efficient, and though they don’t exactly shares tastes in clothes, somehow shopping is always organised and effective with Kame around.

With a sigh he remembered Kame’s other usual shopping companion, Taguchi.

Then there’s Koki, he’s always got on really well with Koki, ever since their junior days and their little TaNaka unit. But Koki is almost like Taguchi’s best friend, they have the radio show to bond over, and when they go out together they share all these inside jokes that Maru always misses...he sits up suddenly, that’s it...the only time he hangs out with Taguchi is when Koki is around, the three of them, NTT.

He ponders the thought a little as he lays back down. The whole NTT thing was Taguchi’s idea...surely he wouldn’t invite Maru to take part in his solo if he didn’t genuinely like him. So clearly Taguchi does like him, but he can’t help a snort at his silly thoughts, of course Taguchi likes him, they just spent half the day running around playing survival games together.

His mind flickers back to that face though, the realisation on Taguchi’s face that he’s left alone with Maru, why was that thought so troubling to him? They get along fine when Koki is with them, so why does Taguchi seem to expect that something will go wrong if they’re alone.

One thought comes to mind but he stops it before it even starts, he’s been paying too much attention to those crazy fans with their fanservice and twisted fantasies. He even laughs a little, Taguchi has had more in the way of relationships than any one of them, there’s no way it’s anything like that.

He lets out a huff of impatience, then why doesn’t Taguchi like the idea of being alone with him? It’s not as though he’s ever mean to Taguchi, no more so than the other members at least, and he’s pretty sure Taguchi knows he’s only joking, mostly.

He finally manages to put it from his mind by deciding he’ll just ask Taguchi about it the next day, and after forcing his mind to focus on the gentle rising and falling of his chest with his slow breaths, he manages to fall asleep.  

~~***~~

“Morning Nakamaru” Taguchi greets him, entirely too happily, when he enters the dressing room that morning. He knows by now that Taguchi is always at least ten minutes early for anything, so here he is, arriving early himself so that he can finally get his worries off his chest.

He nods in greeting and sits down on the soft sofa, he takes a long sip off his hot chocolate to work up his courage to just spit it out.

“You left in a hurry yesterday...” he says finally.

Taguchi shrugs “We were finished weren’t we?”

His fingers tense against his cup, he’d rather hoped for something other than avoidance. “You didn’t have to leave...just because Koki did...”

“I didn’t...I was just leaving...”

He can feel anger starting to simmer a little, is the guy incapable of answering a question straight? His annoyance must be showing on his face, he catches the subtle way Taguchi gulps, his eyes just a little too wary. “Do you dislike being alone with me?”

“What?” Taguchi laughs, but it’s just a little shaky at the end “We’re alone now aren’t we?” He stands up suddenly and Taguchi flinches. “I’m going to go get some coffee, you want anything?” Taguchi tries lightly, but Maru stops him with a hand on his wrist.

“If there’s something wrong with me then just say it” he snaps, and for a moment Taguchi looks as though he might laugh it off again, but then without any other warning, his smile turns downwards, his whole body seeming to sag. Taken aback by the reaction, Nakamaru remembers to let go of the wrist in his hand “What’s wrong with you?”

Taguchi turns from him and flops down onto the sofa, lifting one of the cushions to cuddle it as though for support. Nakamaru half wants to laugh at the sight of it, but the knowledge that this is Taguchi, the usually unshakable Taguchi, makes the concern a stronger emotion.

“I always make you angry” Taguchi finally says, his expression looking lost. “Whenever we’re alone, you just get angry with me.”

For a moment Nakamaru can’t think of an appropriate response, if he’d have had any inkling of what was wrong at all, this wouldn’t have been it. “What do you mean?”

“Even now...just a minute ago I made you angry...” he pouts.

He can’t help but laugh “What? I was only angry because you’ve been acting so strangely...” Taguchi’s brows knit together in a gesture of confusion “If you hadn’t had left so hurriedly after Koki...”

“I usually leave with Koki, when we go out...” Taguchi cuts in.

Nakamaru opens his mouth to respond but stops, now that he thinks about it, the two of them usually do leave at the same time, not even just after eating, the whole time they worked together as NTT, Taguchi always left with Koki, if not before him. “How long have you been avoiding me?”

“It’s not really avoiding as such...”

“Then whatever you’ve been doing...how long?” he tries.

Taguchi shrugs, trying to look nonchalant “Since we were juniors at least...”

He can’t be sure if his jaw actually drops, but it feels as though it does, he feels like he’s just been punched in the stomach. “You’ve been avoiding me for at least 5 years...because you’re worried I’ll get mad at you...” he can’t wrap his head around it. Firstly he’s appalled that Taguchi would fear his anger badly enough to take such extreme measures, and for such a long time, but secondly, he’s ashamed that it’s taken this long for him to notice.

Taguchi’s smile looks uneasy “It’s not like that...we’re still friends, we always have been...just even back then, I always seemed to just make you mad...”

He lets out a puff of breath, still desperately trying to grasp onto the situation while trying to figure out what to do about it. “Taguchi...we even joke about that now...you know right that it was the rest of them winding me up...”

But Taguchi cuts in “It was still always me that set you off though...”

“Because you’re stupid...not because you’re annoying” it sounded less like an insult in his head, but he hopes at least Taguchi understood. “It wasn’t because you were any more annoying than them, just they knew when to stop...”

If he’d been offended then Taguchi wasn’t showing it, if anything he just looked more guilty “That’s exactly why someone else should be there, to tell me when to stop...”

He had to admit, he was getting a little annoyed, he had no idea his usually bouncy band-mate could be so self-deprecating. “Ok well how about from now on I’ll tell you if I’m getting annoyed and it’s time to stop?”

“I guess that would be ok” Taguchi says, his face lighting up a little.

“Ok, you’re starting to annoy me so stop being so scared about upsetting me.” For a moment a troubled look crossed Taguchi’s face, but then he breaks out into a grin.

“That’s was a pretty good idea...that wasn’t so bad”

For a moment Nakamaru almost regrets it, he’d been forgetting just how annoying Taguchi can actually be, but seeing that smile back on his friends face does make him feel a little relieved at least, and as the grin grows wider he can’t help but laugh.

“You’re so stupid sometimes...if you’d had said something years ago then you wouldn’t have had to be so scared of me this whole time...”

Taguchi’s face looks serious all of a sudden, and he’s about to worry over what he said wrong when Taguchi finally speaks.

“It’s not that I was scared of you...I guess it sounds kind of silly saying it out loud but...I know I can be annoying, and because I care about you and I don’t want to lose your friendship...I just didn’t want to put myself in the position where I could be a hassle to you...I really admire how serious you are about work and your education...I don’t want to be a nuisance, that’s all...”

He can’t help laughing again “Firstly, you’ll never not be a nuisance...and secondly...” but the sincerity in Taguchi’s eyes catches him off guard and sobers him a little “Even if you didn’t have to act that way all this time...I still appreciate what you were trying to do.” The smile on Taguchi’s face makes his cheeks feel a little hot, it’s as though he’d just announced Taguchi would get two birthdays this year. “But really...let’s just try and be normal friends ok?”

Taguchi nods feverishly, but Nakamaru can’t stop his eyes from rolling once Taguchi says “Hey, since you don’t mind being alone with me now...maybe when we go to Fukuoka next, we can go eat motsunabe together?”


End file.
